Chapter 340 – An Unbreakable Vow with the Heartless Tycoon

Joseph chuckles and says, “But dear, that’s not fair to poor Leilani and Mamai. They’ve lost every single game so far.”

“It’s just for fun, Dad,” Caitan says. “They can wash the drawings off as soon as we’re done playing. Anyway, what do you think, Leilani?”

Leilani stretches her arms over her head and forces a huge yawn. She blinks her eyes and covers her mouth, pretending to be embarrassed.

“I’m so sorry,” she says. “I must be more tired than I realized. I’m not sure I have the energy for another game.”

Caitan’s eyes narrow, and she says, “Come on, Leilani, surely you don’t want to disappoint your new father-in-law.”

“Of course not,” Leilani says.

“Then stay and play,” Caitan says.

Leilani sighs and says, “Okay, I’ll stay. But I’m afraid I’m no match for you two—especially when I’m this tired. How about we switch teams?”

“That’s a great idea,” Joseph says. “Caitan, go play with Leilani. Mamai can join me over here.”

Mamai raises his head and asks, “Huh?”

Leilani shoves his barefoot off her lap again and kicks him under the table. He brushes his dark, wavy hair out of his eyes and looks around in confusion. Leilani rolls her eyes and stands up to switch seats with Joseph. As she sits down, she pulls the chair far to one side, leaving several feet of space between her and Mamai.

“Bet this wasn’t what you had in mind, teammate,” Leilani whispers to Caitan.

Caitan smirks and says, “I’m not worried.”

The game begins, and Caitan sacrifices three pawns and then a bishop. Leilani narrows her eyes, trying to understand Caitan’s strategy, but it just seems like she’s trying to lose as quickly as possible. Joseph and Mamai win within fifteen minutes.

Caitan claps her hands and calls for a black marker. A maid comes into the room carrying one, but Caitan shakes her head and whispers something into the maid’s ear. The maid returns with an identical-looking marker, and Caitan nods.

Mamai grabs the marker and says, “I can draw on Leilani’s face.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Caitan snaps, snatching the marker from her boyfriend’s hands. “Dad, do you want to do it?”

“I’m about as good at art as you kids are at chess,” Joseph jokes. “You can do it, sweetie.”

Caitan’s eyes flash, and she uncaps the marker. A powerful inky smell washes over Leilani, making her head spin. The marker tip is cold and wet against her cheek, and she fights the urge to push it away. Caitan steps back and looks at her work with a satisfied smirk.

“Oh, it’s a snapping turtle,” Joseph laughs.

Leilani takes the pen and presses the tip to Caitan’s pale, freckled cheek. She glides it back and forth, drawing a large turtle shell, ahead, and then a big, fierce mouth. The lines are a little shaky, but the design is clear enough. She nods with satisfaction and sits down. If Caitan is going to draw ridiculous things on me, I’m going to do the same to her, she thinks.

They play another round and then another. Mamai looks half-asleep, but Joseph beats Leilani and Caitan on his own. Caitan draws another turtle on Leilani’s face, and Leilani does the same to Caitan. After a few rounds, there’s no empty space left on either of their faces.

“Well, I guess the game is over,” Joseph says. “You two are free to go wash your faces now.”

As Leilani gets up, a team of maids comes into the room to clear the heavy chessboard away. The snicker behind their hands when they see her face, and she laughs with them. I don’t know why Caitan insisted on drawing on my face, but it’ll wash off in a few minutes, she thinks. Maybe she just wanted me to look ridiculous in front of her father.

“Wait, Miss Peters,” a maid calls out. “I called the appraiser as you asked, and she confirmed that it’s a genuine Hermes bag. Then I called Hermes, and they said that a few handbags had been accidentally leaked. When I sent them pictures of your bag, they agreed that it’s authentic.”

Leilani sees Caitan’s head perk up from across the room. Caitan puts the finger on Mamai’s lips to silence him and cranes her neck to hear the maid better. Leilani smiles to herself.

“That’s so strange,” Leilani says, raising her voice so Caitan can hear. “When my bag went missing before the dinner, I got worried and asked Andrew to get me another one. He said he couldn’t find another real one, so he got a fake for me to use in the meantime. He must have somehow gotten another real one. Never mind, put it away, and I’ll deal with it later.”

Leilani steals a glance at Caitan and sees the confusion on the girl’s face. Good, she thinks. She’s probably going to wonder about that one for a while. Who knows, she may even sneak into my room to try to steal the bag back. Then I can catch her in the act.

Leilani checks her phone and rushes upstairs to wash her face before she meets with Waylen. She squeezes foam cleanser onto her hands and massages it into her skin before rinsing with warm water. She blows her skin dry on a towel and checks her reflection in the mirror—the turtles are just as bold and dark as ever. She sighs and reaches for a tube of exfoliating cleanser and scrubs it into her skin. She splashes more water onto her face, but the turtles are still there.

Her stomach twists and turns, and she wonders if the marker is permanent. No, she thinks, there’s no way Caitan would let her own face get covered in permanent marker. There has to be some way to take it off. She reaches under the sink and pulls out a chemical peel. She rubs the gel onto her face and waits until it starts to burn. When she washes it away, her skin is bright pink and swollen, but the turtles are still there.

She tosses the towel onto the floor and walks into the hallway. She raises her fist to knock on Caitan’s door, but the door swings open as if Caitan is waiting for her. Leilani steps into the room and finds Caitan drying her face in the bathroom.

“Hey Leilani,” Caitan says.

She lowers the towel, revealing a perfectly clean complexion. Leilani squints, looking for a faint outline of a turtle or even a dark smudge, but Caitan’s pale skin is as flawless as ever.

“How did you wash the marker off?” Leilani asks.

“You just have to scrub a little,” Caitan says with a shrug.

“What kind of cleanser did you use?” Leilani asks.

“Just my normal stuff,” Caitan answers. “Hey, your skin looks really bad. It’s starting to peel around your nose—what did you put on it?”

“Just my normal stuff,” Leilani answers, feeling her pulse quicken.

“Well, that’s weird,” Caitan says. “Hey, I’m really good at makeup. If you want, I can try to put some concealer on the turtles if you want to go out. Though honestly, they kind of suit you.”

“Cut the crap,” Leilani says. “Just tell me how to wash it off.”

The corners of Caitan’s mouth twitch, and her eyes gleam, “Okay, I’m going, being honest with you—I played a little trick on you. The ink in the marker only comes off one way. But there’s no way you’re going to do it.”

Leilani steps closer to the girl and leans down to a whisper, “Just tell me.”

Caitan giggles and whispers, “It only come off with a combination of urine and s.e.m.e.n.”

“Oh please,” Leilani says. “Do you think I was born yesterday?”

She turns on her heel and starts to walk back to her bedroom. If Caitan doesn’t tell me how to take it off, I’ll just have to wear heavy makeup, she thinks. I don’t have more time to waste on this nonsense.

“Hey, brother,” Caitan screams. “Come here quickly.”

Before Leilani can retreat to her own room, Andrew comes racing out of the study. He takes one look at Leilani’s face and doubled over laughing. Gasping for breath, he takes her in his arms and traces the turtle on her forehead.

“Oh honey, you look ridiculous,” he says.

“I know,” she says, pulling away from him. “Caitan had the same thing on her face, but she knew how to wash it off.”

Caitan’s eyes widen, and she mumbles something under her breath. Her cheeks turn pink, and she shakes her head back and forth. Leilani smiles to herself. There’s no way Caitan will admit to putting s.e.m.e.n on her face, she thinks. Andrew would be furious.

“Well, what is it?” Andrew asks.

“It’s nothing,” Caitan says. “Just a joke I made to Leilani.”

“How can it be a joke if it worked?” Andrew asks. “Tell me, Caitan.”

Caitan looks down at her shoes, and she whispers, “It comes off with urine and s.e.m.e.n.”

Andrew’s jaw clenches, and he turns away from his little sister. He pinches Leilani’s cheek and asks, “Well, honey, do you want to try?”

“No way,” Leilani says, pushing Andrew’s hand off her cheek.

Andrew’s mouth twitched, and his eyes twinkle, and Leilani turns back to her room. Heavy footsteps make her turn around again. A plump maid walks down the hallway, carrying a black marker in her hands. Leilani grabs the maid and takes the marker out of her hands, uncaps it, and then lunges forward.

Caitan tries to dodge, but she’s too slow. Leilani makes a small line between Caitan’s lip and nose. She steps away and smiles at her work—from a distance, and it looks like Caitan has a dark mustache.

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